Chapter Twenty-Five

The scar on King Father's cheek has been bothering me all day. He must be the cat killer.
We are in the Royal palace having dinner. The room is lit up in lamps. They surround the whole place, even outside. To be safe, I only indulge in tribe and dumplings. I wash it all down with merryz juice. I'm a bird today. If I try hard enough, I can fly. Merryz juice always makes me light and silly.
“There's more to this, right?” I whisper to Mlondo. “There's a reason why the king thinks someone will kill him. He doesn't want to die. He's probably searching for immortality, that would explain him killing the cats, he's afraid of something… Or someone.”
“But the only thing that can give him immortality is the Bakantwa. That's why he tried to kill you earlier."
I wave her off. “He can’t control the Bakantwa. Only D’ziko can.”
Mlondo shivers at the name D’ziko. She pulls on her coat and pretends to be cold but I saw everything. A true Noddon at heart. She’d prefer me not to call a spade a spade but she won’t say it. I smile. Finally, something she’s afraid of.
“If ya can find a way to momentarily wield the Bakantwa, what makes ya think the king isn’t thinking up a way to do the same?”
I drop my folk. “Wait a sec, ya totally right. What if the cats he’s killing are so that even if he touches the Bakantwa and engulfs inflames, he knows he can still wake--”
Mlondo jabs my ribs painfully. “Look.”
I glare at her but she’s not looking at me but across the room. It’s the king. He’s looking around the way a child does when they want to steal from the cookie jar.
He rises and takes the lamp by the window, I wait until he has passed out of sight and then I follow him, curious. Mondo follows me. I grab two lamps and hand her one.
We burst outside and the night is chilly and pitch black. The smell of fresh rain makes my head dizzy. It is a beautiful night with the clouds covering the sky gray for as far as I can see. My hand shoots out and as the droplets of rain hit my fingertips, my eyes closed. It’s so cold.
The King's fading light is already deep in the forest. Is he running. A bleeding deer darts by, and suddenly —just as quickly— unease wraps me in its wreath. We pick up speed. Something's wrong.
A tall figure appearing in front of us stops us dead.
“Why are ya following my father?” Luleka.
“I…” I hesitate. “We're not. I'm simply accompanying my friend home.”
Luleka crosses her arms over her chest, her lamp dangling dangerously close to her bare upper body. “I see stupid is on sale. I'm not interested.”
“Move,” Mlondo says.
“Ya're after my father,” she says, entering the forest. “I can help ya with whatever it is ya want with him.”
Her words snag my full attention to her. This sounds too good to be true. Luleka help us? Over her own father?
“There's a catching,” Mlondo says.
Luleka knots her brows. “Ya mean there's a catch?”
Mlondo flicks her tongue but doesn't argue.
“There's... I need help too with getting answers. My father is divorcing all his wives, all except the Eldest, who's sick. Extremely sick.”
There’s a shocked silence. Could this have anything to do with the cats?
“He's into monogamy now? So suddenly?” Mondo drops his lamp. “See don't trusted her.”
I'm about to answer when Luleka pops her head between us and gestures to her sword, the secret sword -- “I know how this unlikely friendship formed. I know everything.”
Mlondo frowns.“How did ya knows?”
“I was on the other side of the lake, tying my shoes. Ya two should really check yer surroundings before talking about something so huge.”
"Now yet listen good, girly," Mlondo says hotly. "What happens between Imani and D'ziko, that business is theirs. If yer say a wording about the fake sword, I kill you."
"Aha,"says Luleka. "So you faked the bakantwa, did you?"
"You said you knew the secret," I say in disbelief.
Luleka can't stop grinning. "Yes, of Commodore and Mlondo at the lake."
Mlondo looks furious with himself.
“Fine,” I say. “Ya're in. Let's go.”
Silence. And then, “Do ya have a dead witch?”
“She's crazy.” Luleka gives a small, disproving snort of laughter. “There are no witches in Noddon.”
I glare at Luleka.“Mlondo means a death wish.” And then to Mlondo: “She knows our secret anyway.”
Luleka laughs. Hard. “Dead witch, ai no girl.” The tears are already building.
Mlondo eyes turn to slits. “Who’s dying and made ya my English teacher?”
“Why don't ya just speak Noddon?” Luleka asks in Noddon. “A language we can all speak fluently?”
“Girl, don’t be the testing of me,” Mlondo says in English. “Don’t test. Say one more wording. It’s a dare.”
I’m surprised by this rare glimpse of anger. Her temper is already boiling. Then I remember, Luleka once had a thing for Commodore. In fact they were together for years and probably only separated once Commodore found his mate.
“It’s not worth the fight.” I grab Mlondo's arm and walk her forward. “Come on. Let’s go.”
She throws me off and it feels as though he's stabbed me in the heart.
Mlondo picks her lamp and we spend the next fifteen minutes searching for the king. The silence is awkward.
The forest is black and silent. Too silent, like all the animals have left. Or are hiding.
I stop and slowly turn around. “So what exactly do ya mean when ya say yer step mother is sick?”
They both stop dead in their tracks.
“I haven't seen her at a social gathering in years.” She fires me a death glare before continuing, “Don't ya find that strange?”
“Being introverted does not a sickness make.” Mlondo's suspicious.
Luleka does not look pleased by us doubting her. She storms away and we jog to keep her pace.
Luleka looks up. “She eats in her room. Never comes out. She ordered new clothes. Four dress sizes smaller than her normal weight. The king wants to divorce my mother? All his wives? Why now? He wouldn't do it unless it was perhaps his wife's dying wish. I smell trouble.”
"What would it mean for the King to divorce everyone?" I ask. "Are the king and Queen married too or are they really twins, like really related?"
Luleka smiles but it doesn't reach her eyes. "Legend has it that they were born together. At the same time. That's why they both claimed the throne."
We’re quiet. The trees are growing thicker. We have to go over a huge white rock surrounded by wild berries and a mist. Luleka gets on top of it first. She jumps off the rock and lands with a thud.
“I agree,” I say.
My eyes open as an unsettling thought occurs to me. We're being watched. I scan the building forest expectedly but see no one. The hairs on the back of my nape tickle and stand on edge.
Mlondo turns back around and looks at me. “Hey, Imani, ya okay, girl?”
I force a smile. “I'm fine.”
“Are ya sure?” She sounds relieved.
I push back my shoulders to appear more confident. “Ja. Positive.”
She helps me climb the rock. I sit down and slide down from the rock. I land perfectly on my feet. Mlondo jumps. And it is only then that I see yellow eyes staring at me from my peripheral view.
I am not sure where I’ve seen them before. It is as though the eyes are looking straight through me secretly breaking the walls I've managed to build all these years. And I get the feeling that whoever or whatever they belong to hates me. I lean forward to get a better view but the trees make it impossible for me to see what kind of creature the eyes belong to.
Someone taps my shoulder and I look towards it. Mlondo. She shrugs a are ya okay? I nod. When I look back at the forest, there is nothing. I can’t see the eyes anymore. I laugh. It's probably some wild dog or something.
"Can we splitting up?" Mlondo asks Luleka. “That way we'll cover merrier ground.”
She grunts but doesn't answer.
"Luleka?"
She snaps to attention and looks at Mlondo with a bored, irritated expression.
Mlondo sighs. "Have ya been in listening to a words I've said?"
Luleka rubs her neck. “I said as long as y'all stick to the damn trails and turn back as soon as they end, did I not?"
"Nah ‘ctually, ya just grunts. Was I supposed to taking that as a sign of approval?"
"Would ya leave already?" Luleka asks impatiently. "I'm actually looking forward to the silence."
"Okay..." Mlondo tries not to sound too enthused but then hesitates.
"What now?" Luleka asks Mlondo. She sounds bored.
"I was wonder if ya wanted to walk with me?" Mlondo squirms.
Luleka frowns deeply, seeming puzzled by Mlondo's question. "Why would I want that? We're supposed to be separating."
Ouch.